VOA标准英语2009年-Obama's Popularity Continues Despite Faltering

Recent public opinion polls show continuing faith in President Barack Obama, despite a daily drumbeat of bad economic news. But political experts warn that the public will not remain patient forever.
　
President Barack Obama

Americans cannot get away from the bad economic news - whether it's on television, the Internet or radio.

It is a daily barrage¹ of people losing their jobs.

"All of a sudden one day, they walked in [and] said, 'Come on down here, gave us our blue packet.' And we got about two months severance² pay, and that was it," said a woman.

And in other cases, people losing their homes.

"The only thing I need right now is to get an apartment," said a man. "Get a place of my own where I have my own keys and everything. That way, I can call it home."

Responding to this daily drumbeat is a new president about to enter his third month in office.

"The American people sent us here to get things done," said Mr Obama. "And at this moment of enormous challenge, they are watching and waiting for us to lead."

Recent public opinion polls show President Barack Obama with a positive approval rating of between 59 and 65 percent.

CBS News survey director Sarah Dutton says most people believe it will take a while to turn the U.S. economy around.

"Fifty percent of Americans say that it will take President Obama one or two years to fix the economy," she said. "Another third say it is going to take three years or even longer."

Most analysts³ think that Americans are going to want to see some progress on the economic front sooner rather than later.

Jeremy Mayer is a presidential expert at George Mason University in Virginia.

"I think that presidents, particularly in crises, have a brief window to move because the question is: At what point do these massive problems become their fault?," he said.

Georgetown University scholar Stephen Wayne says the president is trying to strike a delicate balance as he responds to the daily ups and downs of the economy.

"And so, Obama has come in and he has had to walk a thin line because in one sense he's got to be realistic and he can't say, 'If you pass this bill, next month happy days will be here again.' On the other hand, people want hope," he said.

Mr. Obama must also contend with growing public outrage⁴ over government bailouts to companies like the insurance giant, American International Group.

Anger has spiked⁵ in the wake of revelations that some AIG executives still will be paid large bonuses.

In addition, Republicans largely oppose Mr. Obama's tax and spending plan to jump-start the economy.

"How can we have a budget that doubles the debt on our children? How can we say that we are going to raise taxes on the job creators?," said Virginia Representative Eric Cantor.

Many experts warn that public support for the president could erode⁶ unless indications of economic recovery begin to emerge soon.

But political scientist Stephen Wayne says the public has a longer view of what it will take to revive the economy.

"Obviously, if things don't turn around over a certain period of time, he'll be blamed for spending all this money with no result," he said. "But the bottom line is will things get better? Will people perceive that they are getting better? And there has been, at least within the first 50 days, some public recognition, some more hope that we see in the polling data that suggests we are moving in the right direction."

There is a largely positive public view for now, but the question is: For how much longer? White House aides and political experts will be looking for the answer in the weeks ahead.

1 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

2 severance   

n.离职金；切断

参考例句：

• Those laid off received their regular checks,plus vacation and severance pay.那些被裁的人都收到他们应得的薪金，再加上假期和解职的酬金。Kirchofer was terminated,effective immediately--without severance or warning.科奇弗被解雇了，立刻生效--而且没有辞退费或者警告。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

5 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

6 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。